John Brownlow

Born in Lincoln, England, John Brownlow went to Oxford to study Mathematics. However, after a year, he decided that he no longer wished to know what x equalled, and switched to English Literature – against the advice of his elders and betters.

After graduation, he worked briefly as a photographer before beginning a career in television documentaries as an investigative journalist.

During the 1990s, Mr. Bronwlow rose to become one of Britain's best-known documentary filmmakers, producing several highly acclaimed documentary series for Channel 4, including Pennies From Bevan, School Rules, Canterbury Tales, Deadly Experiments, Navy Blues (which he directed), Special Treatment (which he associate-produced) and A Special Hospital (which he associate-produced).

In 1999, on the strength of scripts written on spec, he switched to working as a full-time screenwriter for film companies in London and Los Angeles. Sylvia, which he began work on in late 2000, is his first screenplay to have been filmed.

Mr. Brownlow has several screenplays slated for production in 2003 and 2004, including Alias Grace (based on the Margaret Atwood novel, with Working Title Films), The Numbers Man (with Bel Air Entertainment), London Fear (with Sylvia producer Alison Owen at Ruby Films, and to be directed by Kari Skogland), Marlowe (with Natural Nylon), and The Phoenix (about the Hindenburg, with Kennedy/Marshall Films). He is also developing his feature film directorial debut, The Death of Sweet Mister, which he is adapting from Daniel Woodrell's novel.

In 2003, he was named one of Daily Variety's 10 Screenwriters to Watch.